Reagan Dead. — 930 Forums

keithstg

Joined: December 17, 2002 at 06:01 AM UTC

Posts: 402

Re: Reagan Dead. June 07, 2004 at 01:05 PM UTC #

Originally posted by chimbly sweep:
e gads… now keeping the crazy fascists from renaming every post office, school, street, and lamp pole after him will be a full-time job.

Yes, of course. Because to want to honor a Republican President, one must be a fascist. Makes perfect sense.

I'm struck by the lack of sympathy for Reagan here. Despite ideological opposition, his death is sad. I would / will say the same thing when Clinton passes away.

Rhett Miller

Joined: November 15, 2001 at 06:01 AM UTC

Posts: 17762

Re: Reagan Dead. June 07, 2004 at 01:16 PM UTC #

Regardless of political ideologies, I'm certainly going to have admiration for someone who is loving and faithful to his wife, and lose admiration for someone who cheats on his wife with other women repeatedly.

My main point is that cheering someones death, particularly a former president, strikes me as pretty class-less and disrespectful. But I guess it's the internet, so all is fair.

While I did disagree with most of his policies, I'm not going to remember him negatively. I'm going to remember him as a much better president that GW Bush, and a much better human being the Clinton.

Originally posted by Barcelona:

Originally posted by Rhett Miller:
Why don't you losers have some respect for the guy?

He didn't put his dick down any intern's throat, and he didn't start any wars.

Alzheimer's is definitely a shitty way to go.
Do you really care if a president has sexual relationships with an intern? Who cares about that? What should worry you are the human atrocities Reagan did in Central America against innocent civilians in Nicaragua or El Salvador.

Rhett Miller

Joined: November 15, 2001 at 06:01 AM UTC

Posts: 17762

Re: Reagan Dead. June 07, 2004 at 01:21 PM UTC #

Federal agencies will be closed Friday as part of the national day of mourning for former president Ronald Reagan, the White House announced last night. In an executive order, President Bush said federal government offices "shall be closed on June 11, 2004, as a mark of respect for Ronald Reagan." Federal offices and programs essential for national defense, homeland security, foreign affairs, law enforcement and other essential business may be kept open, however, at the discretion of agency heads, the order said. Administration officials said additional information would be sent to agencies today on the closing of the government for the Reagan funeral on Friday.

edbert

Joined: October 08, 2002 at 05:01 AM UTC

Posts: 586

Re: Reagan Dead. June 07, 2004 at 01:40 PM UTC #

well he was a part of the end of the cold war,

Everyone's accepting that as history now; I guess the myth is that by building up our nukes the commies went broke trying to keep up. Then how come the poor warsaw pact countries who spent zip on the arms race ousted the communist party first? If people wanna credit Reagan with something I think de-regulating S&Ls would be more apt

skeeter

Joined: May 29, 2003 at 05:01 AM UTC

Posts: 4011

Re: Reagan Dead. June 07, 2004 at 01:42 PM UTC #

Originally posted by keithstg:
I'm struck by the lack of sympathy for Reagan here. Despite ideological opposition, his death is sad.

It's a sad event when anyone dies. Well, almost anyone. But I have a limited amount of sympathy for him. He was 93. Until Alzheimers took over, he lead a long, priviledged life. My biggest beef with him was his lack of action in the early days of AIDS. He treated it as more of a moral issue than a medical issue, resulting in a lack of funding and research. He refused to even say the word "AIDS" in public until 1987. That's inexcusable.

So, no, I don't have a lot of sympathy for his loss. I do, however, feel badly for Nancy, who has probably had a very miserable life for the last 10-15 years.

Rhett Miller

Joined: November 15, 2001 at 06:01 AM UTC

Posts: 17762

Re: Reagan Dead. June 07, 2004 at 01:50 PM UTC #

Why begrudge the man for being privileged? He worked his way to that privilege.

Reagan was born in a small town in Illinois. He was born the son of poor parents. In the 1930s, during the Depression, he graduated from college.

He attended high school in nearby Dixon and then worked his way through Eureka College.

Originally posted by Skeeter:

Originally posted by keithstg:
I'm struck by the lack of sympathy for Reagan here. Despite ideological opposition, his death is sad.
It's a sad event when anyone dies. Well, almost anyone. But I have a limited amount of sympathy for him. He was 93. Until Alzheimers took over, he lead a long, priviledged life. My biggest beef with him was his lack of action in the early days of AIDS. He treated it as more of a moral issue than a medical issue, resulting in a lack of funding and research. He refused to even say the word "AIDS" in public until 1987. That's inexcusable.

So, no, I don't have a lot of sympathy for his loss. I do, however, feel badly for Nancy, who has probably had a very miserable life for the last 10-15 years.

Joined: Unknown

Posts: 0

Re: Reagan Dead. June 07, 2004 at 01:59 PM UTC #

mankie

Joined: Unknown

Posts: 0

Re: Reagan Dead. June 07, 2004 at 02:00 PM UTC #

Originally posted by Rhett Miller:
Regardless of political ideologies, I'm certainly going to have admiration for someone who is loving and faithful to his wife, and lose admiration for someone who cheats on his wife with other women repeatedly.

]

Wasn't Nancy his second wife…wonder if he was loving and faithful to his first wife?

This is the most positive element of Reagans legacy…..

<img src="http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/S/htmlS/spittingimag/spittingimagIMAGE/spittingimag1.jpg" alt=" - " />

"The Presidents Brain Is Missing"…now that shit was funny.

Apart from that, Reagan's legacy is a non-starter really, and if you check his approval ratings you'll find most Americans agreed.

Venerable Bede

Joined: October 16, 2001 at 05:01 AM UTC

Posts: 3863

Re: Reagan Dead. June 07, 2004 at 02:02 PM UTC #

Originally posted by edbert:

well he was a part of the end of the cold war,
Everyone's accepting that as history now; I guess the myth is that by building up our nukes the commies went broke trying to keep up. Then how come the poor warsaw pact countries who spent zip on the arms race ousted the communist party first? If people wanna credit Reagan with something I think de-regulating S&Ls would be more apt

building up our nukes? ever heard of salt i and ii? where he got the commies was in his insistence for sdi- after that, the commies couldn't compete.

skeeter

Joined: May 29, 2003 at 05:01 AM UTC

Posts: 4011

Re: Reagan Dead. June 07, 2004 at 02:02 PM UTC #

Originally posted by Rhett Miller:
Why begrudge the man for being privileged?

I don't begrudge him for being priviledged. I'm just saying that for the most part, he had a very long, good life. Most of us should be so lucky to have 80+ good years.

edbert

Joined: October 08, 2002 at 05:01 AM UTC

Posts: 586

Re: Reagan Dead. June 07, 2004 at 02:03 PM UTC #

they weren't trying- if they went broke it was from afghanistan not star wars

Rhett Miller

Joined: November 15, 2001 at 06:01 AM UTC

Posts: 17762

Re: Reagan Dead. June 07, 2004 at 02:08 PM UTC #

I dunno…read this and tell me it wasn't because his first wife was a total bitch.

Four years later the young couple adopted a son, Michael. They were promoted by Warner's as the dream Hollywood couple, and every fan magazine monitored their lives. "Ronnie and I are perfect counterparts for each other. I blow up, and Ronnie just laughs at me. We've never had a quarrel, because he's just too good-natured," said Jane in one interview. Several years after that, the lovebirds became known in the press as "Those Fightin' Reagans," and rumours of a rift in the marriage were rampan. Louella Parson, who trived on such matters, told Jane in a column, "I want to write a story and settle all this talk once and for all." Jane was quoted by Louella as replying, "Believe me, I'm going ot find out who has started all this talk….Can't gossips let us keep our happiness?"

In 1947 the marriage did break up. "We're through," Jane said to a columnist druing a trip to New York. "We're finished, and it's all my fault." Reagan found out about the termination of his marriage when he read it in the column. He have long interviews to Louella and to her archrival, Hedda Hoper, both of whom took his side. "If this comes to a divorce, I'll name Johnny Belinda as a co-espondent," Hedda Hopper quoted him as saying. Jane had become so immersed in her new career as a dramatic actress that she wore pellets wrapped in wax in her ears so that she would not be able to hear during the fliming of the deaf-mute movie. Hedda Hopper had more to say ont he subjec: "I can't really believe it yet. I don't think Ronald Reagan does either. It caught him so flatfooted, so patheically by surprise. I talked ot Ronnie the day he read int he newspapers what Jane should have told her husband first."

They were divorced in 1948, the same year she won the Academy Award. Jane got custody of the two children, and Reagan got weekend visitation rights. Jane testified that her husband's overriding interest in filmland union and political activity had driven them apart. Friends speculated at the time that Jane's emergence as a bona fide star and Reagan's concurrent slide from box-office favour contributed to the breakup. Others felt that Jane was simply bored with him. Before th egovernorship and his truly remarkable rise as a recognized world leader, friends from that periode remember, he did indeed engage in long, ponderous, yawn-producing discourses on a variety of subjects. AN ongoing joke in Hollywood druing his campaing for the governorship of California was a remark attributed to Jane Wyman about her former husband. When asked what he was like, she allegedly said, "If you asked Ronnie the time, he'd tell you how to make a watch."

Originally posted by Bollocks:

]

Wasn't Nancy his second wife…wonder if he was loving and faithful to his first wife?

mankie

Joined: Unknown

Posts: 0

Re: Reagan Dead. June 07, 2004 at 02:21 PM UTC #

Rhett…all EX-wives are bitches…DUH!

Why so defensive of a President who did NOTHING for minorities, education or aids research while tripling the nations deficit?

What else do you want to name after the fucker for crying out loud? Why not just cut to the chase and rename this town "Reagan DC" and be done with it.

And 93 is a damn good innings if you ask me, I'd be sympathetic if he popped it in his 50's or so…but to live to 93 is pretty eff'n good.

By the way, I absolutely refuse to call National Airport anything but National Airport.

Rhett Miller

Joined: November 15, 2001 at 06:01 AM UTC

Posts: 17762

Re: Reagan Dead. June 07, 2004 at 02:37 PM UTC #

I'm not defensive of his actions of president.

I just find mocking his death OFFENSIVE. Regardless of his politics, he carried himself well as a human being, I thought.

It's not like he was a drug-addled self-destructive rock star goon who can't help but ot invite derision and mockery. You know, like Curt Cobain or Layne Staley.

Originally posted by Bollocks:
Rhett…all EX-wives are bitches…DUH!

Why so defensive of a President who did NOTHING for minorities, education or aids research while tripling the nations deficit?

What else do you want to name after the fucker for crying out loud? Why not just cut to the chase and rename this town "Reagan DC" and be done with it.

And 93 is a damn good innings if you ask me, I'd be sympathetic if he popped it in his 50's or so…but to live to 93 is pretty eff'n good.

By the way, I absolutely refuse to call National Airport anything but National Airport.

poorlulu

Joined: Unknown

Posts: 0

Re: Reagan Dead. June 07, 2004 at 02:41 PM UTC #

Originally posted by Rhett Miller:
[QB] Layne Staley.

is he still dead then?

mankie

Joined: Unknown

Posts: 0

Re: Reagan Dead. June 07, 2004 at 02:49 PM UTC #

Originally posted by Rhett Miller:
[QB] I'm not defensive of his actions of president.

I just find mocking his death OFFENSIVE. Regardless of his politics, he carried himself well as a human being, I thought.

It's not like he was a drug-addled self-destructive rock star goon who can't help but ot invite derision and mockery. You know, like Curt Cobain or Layne Staley.

I think those mocking, and I don't think I was mocking….but anyway, if we are, it's probably a reaction to all the bullshit on the telly over the weekend…You'd think he was the mesiah or something. What cracks me up about the media over here is for example, you get the local news at 6pm and the lead story is "Reagan Dead"…then you get all the tributes and posthumous arse licking for an hour…then at 7pm you get the national news and the lead story is "Reagan Dead" NO SHIT! We've just had it shoved down our throats for the past hour!…then of course you get another hour of posthumous arse licking all over again.

BTW, did ANYTHING else happen that was newsworthy over the weekend, because they sure as shit didn't report on anything else?

Rhett Miller

Joined: November 15, 2001 at 06:01 AM UTC

Posts: 17762

Re: Reagan Dead. June 07, 2004 at 02:49 PM UTC #

Dude, he may still be dead, but his music is still alive in the hearts of his fans, from Boise to Dundalk.

Originally posted by poorlulu:

Originally posted by Rhett Miller:
[QB] Layne Staley.

is he still dead then?

Guiny

Joined: Unknown

Posts: 0

Re: Reagan Dead. June 07, 2004 at 02:58 PM UTC #

I shoulda known this board would not be sympathetic to him. Once again, the whole country thinks one way and fifteen morons on this board think another, must be the wanna be rebels in them. It's a sad day when I agree with pretty much everything Rhett says. I have no idea what he did right or wrong cause politics isn't my thing but I'm sure he did a helluva better job then you guys did….Oh wait, you weren't President, he was, and you never will be.

redsock

Joined: February 20, 2002 at 06:01 AM UTC

Posts: 1893

Re: Reagan Dead. June 07, 2004 at 03:01 PM UTC #

sigh… it always turns into one of these messy little arguments. And coincidentally, Rhett is in the minority again. It's sad when anyone dies, true enough. I think what most of the folks are reacting to is the non-stop, never-ending, relentless push by reagan-supporters (who also happen to have prominent roles in the current administration) to make him the be-all end-all. If you liked Reagan, you tend to REALLY like him. And vice-versa. Regardless of his accomplishments, good or bad, he is not the legend his followers make him out to be. And to be beaten over the head with a solid week of this propaganda is a daunting task. It's unfortunate his last years were so difficult, and I do feel for Nancy (even thoguh she's always seemed a bit odd herself). But in the end, his legacy in the eyes of non-republicans is not an entirely positive one. Thus, we quickly grow tired of all the media coverage etc…

Rhett Miller

Joined: November 15, 2001 at 06:01 AM UTC

Posts: 17762

Re: Reagan Dead. June 07, 2004 at 03:04 PM UTC #

Hey Guiny, would you feel the same way if it were Clinton who died? Haven't you said some disparaging things about him?

I agree with Keithsg's comments above.

Although I've spent far too much energy defending the honor or someone who I would have never voted for.

So I'll pass that task on to you, and ggw if he wants it, while I go get some work done.

Originally posted by Rob_Gee_a.k.a _Guiny:
I shoulda known this board would not be sympathetic to him. Once again, the whole country thinks one way and fifteen morons on this board think another, must be the wanna be rebels in them. It's a sad day when I agree with pretty much everything Rhett says. I have no idea what he did right or wrong cause politics isn't my thing but I'm sure he did a helluva better job then you guys did….Oh wait, you weren't President, he was, and you never will be.